13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

"Jay Asher's brilliant first novel is a moving, highly original story that focuses on a set of audiotapes made by a girl before she committed suicide, and which explain to 13 people the reasons why she decided to end her life. Told in a highly effective duel narrative -- alternating between the girl s voice and the thoughts of a boy who is listening -- this honest, poignant story reveals how other people's actions shape, and by extension can ruin, an individual's faith in people. 


Intensely powerful and painfully real, Thirteen Reasons Why reveals how brutal high school can be, the consequences of spreading rumors, and the lasting effects of suicide on those left behind."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published October 18th 2007 by Razorbill

Source: Military OneSource Online Audiobook

How cool is it to find a package you were not expecting on your front steps? There is that little thrill when you grab it and start turning it over trying to figure out what could be inside. Then, you open it. Usually at this point you find out it's a good surprise. Clay was not so lucky. What he finds inside the shoe box package is a set of audio tapes which contain a message from a girl. A girl who had committed suicide and the message is the 13 reasons why she did it.

I was told about this book years ago by one of my friends who had to read it for school. She didn't really want to at first but after reading it she swore it was one of the best books she's ever picked up. I will admit though, I was scared to read it. The summary just sounded so heavy and heart-breaking, so I told her I would eventually read it then pushed it to the very bottom of my mental to-be-read list.

Recently though, I've started really enjoying (for lack of a better word) books with heavier subjects and when I stumbled across this one on an online audio book library I couldn't pass it up.

Even though 13 Reasons Why faces a tough subject a lot of people would rather not talk about, I had mixed feelings in the end. 

Hannah says pretty much in the beginning that all the stories she tells on the tapes, all the bad situations she ended up in, all the reasons why she ended her life, started out because of a rumor. Now, I do not condone the spreading of lies but, many of the later situations she blamed on that rumor could have been easily prevented, if only SHE had done something different. She even said so, many many times. And, for me, it was never clear why she just didn't do that something different.

Hannah's 13 reasons why she killed herself were pretty much all because of other people. If it wasn't someone adding fuel to her 'bad reputation' fire, it was because of everyone just standing on the sidelines watching her burn. In all the stories she told I tried to listen to her call out for help, but I never heard it.

Even Clay, who wanted to be more than just friends with Hannah Baker, could not see it. She pushed him away when he tried to be there for her, when he tried to be her friend.

Do not get me wrong, my heart hurt tremendously for Hannah Baker. I wished I could go into her story, slap the boys and girls that did her wrong, and talk to her. Tell her that it will get better but that she has to keep fighting. That everyone gets talked about behind their back, but that is not something worth ending your life over. No one should be made to feel like that. But hearing her on the tapes, listening to her stories she sounded so much stronger, like she was a fighter, so some of what she did just didn't make sense.
And the whole time I wish I could have reached through the story and hugged Clay for having to go through that. His character made me tear more than once.

*Highlight to read only if you have read the book* *SPOILER*

I do wonder though, if Clay had nothing to do with Hannah killing herself, why the hell did she send him the tapes? Why did she put him through that? He had to sit there and listen to this girl he really liked explain why she ended her life and he could do nothing about it anymore...that just seemed so unfair to me.

*End of spoiler*

Even though this has not sounded like a very positive review, I did like it (I can't think of a better word). Yes, it was frustrating to listen to, and sad, but also a good reminder that words can destroy. "Sticks and stones" doesn't really ever apply, does it? So watch what you say to people. It could result in life changing decisions on their part.

I plan to eventually read the actual book to see if I can really get into the story more than I could with the audio.

Even though Hannah was a complicated character to understand, I would suggest giving this book a try.

It's a very well written story that definitely makes you think.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

"Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget." -GoodReads.

Paperback, 170 pages

Published September 8th 2009 by Simon Pulse (first published September 2nd 2008)

(I read the published in 2008 book)

There is really not a whole lot that can be said about this book.

It was heart wrenching.

Terrifying.

And just straight up sad.

Living Dead Girl is told through Alice's eyes. What she has to go 

through everyday with Ray is just awful. Every time Ray touches her

or doesn't let her eat so that she will stay weak and little,

every time he talks about her death, she wishes she really

 was dead. And that he would just kill her already.

She remembers her life before Ray. How she had everything

and now she has nothing. She wishes she appreciated it

more when she had it.

Alice doesn't think she has the power to ask anyone for help.

He threatens her and he real family so she does nothing.

I wanted to reach through the pages and pull this little girl out,

hold her, and tell her it would be alright. That we could fix it.

Even though Living Dead Girl is only 170 pages, it feels so

much longer, because it is so hard to swallow what is

happening to this poor child.

But I really think it helps raise the question, if you saw something

that doesn't look quite right, would you say something? Or would

you just turn and look the other way and think that it is none of 

your business?

It is a hard read, but it needs to be read.

Living Dead Girl is also a challenged and banned book. THIS website

has an interview with Elizabeth Scott. Notice the reasons she said her 

book has been banned. For "inappropriate content" and "unsatisfactory

ending". It is a great interview so I would suggest reading it.

I whole-heartedly disagree with Living Dead Girl being banned. 

No, it is not a fairy tale. And it has very intense and sometimes graphic

content about how Alice is being abused. But people do need to be

reminded of these kinds of things.

They need to be reminded that it can happen to anyone, so if you see 

something, SAY SOMETHING. Do not just turn your head, because

this story is happening to some poor child.

The "unsatisfactory ending" made me want to punch whoever said it.

I won't say what happens in the end, but this person was seriously

delusional when s/he said it.

It's a really short book, I had it done in a couple hours. So I hope you

decide to pick it up and read it. I will not lie and say it won't get to you,

because it will, but it is supposed to.

It is supposed to push the nice and sweet boundaries that have been 

put up. Not everything is always as it seems, and Living Dead Girl 

really and truly shows that.

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead.

 *If you have not read the first two books in this series I would suggest skipping this review. The description and review may contain spoilers from them & I wouldn't want to ruin the books for you*

"It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all...might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line--and choose between the two people she loves most."- richellemead.com

Paperback, 443 pages

Published November 13th 2008 by Razorbill (first published 2008)

Source: Bookstore.

  This series just keeps getting better and better. The Vampire Academy books have definitely become one of my favorite vampire series.

   There is no shortage of action, romance, or suspense in Shadow Kiss. There were things that I was able to figure out before they happened, but I think Richelle was just using those things to distract me from what was really going to happen. More than once I set the book down and just went "Whoa..." because of things I did not see coming.
Rose has even more on her plate in this book now that she is in the final stages of her guardian training. So much is going on at the Academy with the field experience about to start and Rose thinks it will be a piece of cake, but a pretty big curveball gets thrown her way.
She also still feels responsible for Mason's death, is trying to control her feelings for Dimitri, and learns that Victor Dashkov might be released back into the world. Quite a load.
And on top of all of that, Rose has a secret she's not telling anyone, not even Lissa or Dimitri, but it's tearing her up and messing up how she is performing as a guardian.

  The ending....wow. I really did not see it coming. It was incredible, in both good and bad ways. I could not believe where Richelle decided to take the story. But it's awesome because it was really unexpected. I did try to go to Border's earlier but then it started snowing a lot so I couldn't go. I really have no idea how I am going to be able to concentrate on any other book until I get the next VA book to find out what happens. I finished Shadow Kiss at about 6 this morning and it still has me on the edge of my seat.
I cannot wait to get my hands on Blood Promise to see what other surprises Richelle has in store for Rose and her friends.